Foodgle Hub@PGP

Written by Huang Yifang & Lee Meixian

The Foodgle Hub, located at the centre of Prince George's Park Residences, is a one-stop venue where you can eat, shop, and play. The first level, consisting of more than 10 food stalls, offers an eclectic mix of Asian and Western cuisines, snacks and beverages. The second floor comprises of a home theatre cum entertainment and gaming zone, the Red Spot Café, and upcoming retail stores. Hooked visits this Foodgle Hub that not many NUS students can claim to be familiar with, to try out some of their signature dishes. We recommend:  Chong Pang Nasi Lemak Rating: 3/5 stars         The name Chong Pang pretty much speaks for itself. If Chong Pang does not ring a bell, think about the packets of pre-packed Nasi Lemak you usually see at hawker centres in the morning. More likely than not, that is a packet of Chong Pang Nasi Lemak.         Of course, why eat their pre-packed ones when you can eat the more satisfying, freshly-made Nasi Lemak at Foodgle Hub? With their original stall situated at Sembawang, you can now save the trip and enjoy their Nasi Lemak at close proximity to the campus.          Nasi Lemak is a dish consisting of rice, steamed with coconut milk, usually served with fried fish or chicken. The garnishes include fried ikan bilis and peanuts, cucumber and fried egg.         The dish served to us was Set A (S$2), which consists of rice, fried chicken wing and egg.          One of the most important aspects of good Nasi Lemak is the rice. The coconut milk made the rice fragrant and tasted pretty authentic. However, I found the rice a bit too dry for my liking.          What I felt made the dish good was the chicken wing and the chilli. The chicken wing is marinated specially and carries the taste of spices. The chilli tastes unique as well, and seriously, good chilli can make almost anything taste good. I can hardly call myself a Nasi Lemak connoisseur but I felt that the Nasi Lemak was pretty standard.         Nevetheless, many may beg to differ as Chong Pang has won a few awards, such as the Channel U's Yummy King Award and The Green Book Best Food Awards. Price-wise though, Chong Pang Nasi Lemak is a great place to get your fill, without burning a hole in your pocket (so you can spend more on textbooks and coursepacks!).         The sets range from S$2 (Set A) to S$3.50 for Set D with more ingredients.  HK Kitchen Rating: 3½/5 stars         HK Kitchen sells a wide variety of food from Dim Sum to baked rice.         What we tried was the Minced Beef Baked Rice. Wait a minute, you may ask, isn't baked rice the type of food we eat at Swensen's? What's it doing at a stall selling Hong Kong cuisine?         According to Jenny Poon, the stallholder's daughter, baked rice is a popular dish in Hong Kong as well. And yes, there is a difference between the baked rice served here, as compared to the more "Western" versions commonly sold.         For one, the rice is mixed with tomato sauce and slightly drier than the creamy, soft version we normally see. The rice was blanketed with a layer of minced beef and topped with melted cheese. Cubes of carrot and potato are also added to the dish. You can also have a choice of the meat you want in your baked rice. The Minced Beef Baked Rice is S$3.50, while the Fish Baked Rice is S$4 (sold only from Friday to Sunday).         HK Kitchen also sells dim sum. A few of their handmade specialties include the Pork and Vegetable Bun, Pan Fried Pork Bun and the Pork Belly Bun. If you are looking for something different from the traditional local fare, you may want to give this a try. This is economical high-class food at its best. Igloo Bubble Tea Rating: 3/5 stars                 We put the Strawberry Milk Tea to the test. The milk tea was slightly diluted and the tea could do with more pearls. However, the pearls were not too bad. Although slightly mushy, the pearls were still relatively soft and chewy. For the bubble tea fanatic in me, I'm simply thankful that there is a bubble tea shop somewhere near the campus.         The three other flavours we tried, with the help of some friends, were passion fruit, mocha and chocolate mint. One excellent strength was evidently their ice blended drinks because the ice were very well and thoroughly blended, unlike some bubble tea stalls outside where small chunks of ice would still be left after you've finished your drink.         The mocha was very thick and rich; the chocolate mint was cooling and refreshing (after just one sip, the back of your throat will feel wonderfully chilly because of the mint); and the passion fruit was perhaps a little too sour, but for people like me who like sour tastes, it can be perfect in its own way.         We checked out Foodgle Hub's forum and apparently, the most popular drink amongst frequenters is their Oreo Spin from the cookie-and-cream series, followed by the yoghurt drinks, fresh coconut drink (with edible coconut flesh) and the red milk tea.         It appears that the red tea leaves are Assam tea leaves from India, while the green tea is brewed using imported top quality green tea leaves and jasmine flowers, which have to be brewed at the right temperature and time to retain its beneficial properties. The pearls are bought from a Taiwan supplier and cooked fresh daily. You wouldn't guess that much effort was put into your plain ol' S$1.50 bubble tea drink, would you? Vietnamese Food Stall Rating: 4.5/5 stars         We both agreed that our favourite dish was the Bun Thit Nuong, or grilled pork salad noodle from the Vietnamese food stall.         It tasted very clean and fresh in our mouths, reeking of healthiness. It felt completely uncluttered by the usual oyster oil that we get too much of in our usual Chinese noodles (mee-pok dry, fried hor fun, etc) at local hawker centres.         There was a lot of raw vegetables in it, such as coriander, mint leaves, beans, lettuce, bean sprouts, carrots, herbs, etc, all washed very carefully beforehand, and to add flavour to the dish, minimal amounts of salt, sugar, oil and fish sauce were added. On top of the dish, there were a few slices of grilled pork, which initially came across as hard and dry, but a few more chews revealed its uncanny resemblance to bak gwa (Chinese BBQ pork). Most appetizing indeed.         Besides grilled pork, you can also choose to have it stir-fried, or pick beef (choice of grilled or stir-fried), and according to stall owner, Vivian Nguyen, "carries the subtle sweet-smelling flavour of lemongrass."         It costs S$3.50 a bowl here and S$2.50 at a similar stall in the Business canteen, which is also very popular amongst students, professors and general workers there.         This is an authentic Vietnamese delicacy stall, a rarity even in food haven Singapore, manned by Vietnamese with the secret weapon of an authentic Vietnamese recipe, passed down by many generations in the family. I trust the heritage of this recipe because the dish does taste fantastic in its own simplistic, humble and unpretentious way.         We met a student purchasing an interesting looking popiah-lookalike dish from the stall and enquired what it was exactly. He introduced himself to be Chau Nhi Hien, a third-year Vietnamese student from Computer Science.         The dish he was holding was the sweet prawn spring rolls, attributing his fondness for it to its freshness, healthiness and the fact that it is so easy to digest. The spring rolls looked really good - the orange of the prawns was so visible through its near-transparent skin. He added that it costs only 60 cents each, and at such an economic price, the servings of the prawns are certainly very generous.         When asked if this stall sells food that tastes like native food in Vietnam, he smiled and remarked that this stall does it even better! Astons Express (Western Cuisine stall) Rating: 4/5 stars          Another dish that we tried was the prime rib-eye steak from the Astons Express stall, which actually has another branch in Serangoon Gardens opposite Chomp Chomp.         Priced at S$11.70, this might sound quite exorbitant for a student's meal, but rest assured that this stall does ensure you full satisfaction for the money you pay. We had our steak done medium-rare, accompanied by another baked potato and pasta salad. S$11.70 is inclusive of two side dishes of your choice from the menu.         The steak was juicy and succulent, and felt wonderful in your mouth and heavenly to chew, especially after you've dipped it in the equally yummy mushroom sauce. The pasta salad, which comes with Italian parmesan dressing, tasted slightly sour, with a very distinct taste of spices, and might come across as refreshing because it is cold, unlike the other steamy food on the plate.         The potato was baked to a perfect texture, neither too hot nor cold, and is accompanied by some butter in between the two halves for savoring purposes. According to the stall owner, who said that he would definitely recommend their beef to any customer above chicken or pork, this prime rib-eye beef is actually chilled steak from New Zealand.         They do offer steak of far better quality like Celebrities' Steak (S$38.70) that isn't popular here because it far exceeds a student's budget. These cows are grain-fed and are given a rating of as high as grade 5 to 6, because when cooked, it'd simply melt in your mouth, a process called marbling, induced by their equalized fats.         You would have to order this three days in advance though, because they don't usually stock up on it. As for the prime rib-eye steak, you have to at least try once in your 3 or 4 years studying here in NUS.         If not for an ordinary meal, at least come here to indulge upon completion of the examinations or a huge project! hooked Comments Write Comment Name: Guest Title: Comment:

 

< Prev		Next >